The Executive - Evolution and Current Design
Intro:
Timeline:
Study Guide Questions:
Quiz Questions for Fall 2009 Students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Rise of Presidential Power.
As a public, we tend to be conditioned to the idea that the president is the dominant political player in American government. It tends to be the office that attracts media attention and mobilize public opinion. We may surprised to learn that this was not the case in the early years of the republic, and in fact was not so until relatively recently in our history. Though executive power was argued to be especially problematic by the founders in a hereditary monarchy, is a republic, the asumption was that the legislative branch would dominate government and was the institution to be feared the most.
A lengthy passage from Federalist #49 makes the point: We have seen that the tendency of republican governments is to an aggrandizement of the legislative at the expense of the other departments. The appeals to the people, therefore, would usually be made by the executive and judiciary departments. But whether made by one side or the other, would each side enjoy equal advantages on the trial? Let us view their different situations. The members of the executive and judiciary departments are few in number, and can be personally known to a small part only of the people. The latter, by the mode of their appointment, as well as by the nature and permanency of it, are too far removed from the people to share much in their prepossessions. The former are generally the objects of jealousy, and their administration is always liable to be discolored and rendered unpopular. The members of the legislative department, on the other hand, are numberous. They are distributed and dwell among the people at large. Their connections of blood, of friendship, and of acquaintance embrace a great proportion of the most influential part of the society. The nature of their public trust implies a personal influence among the people, and that they are more immediately the confidential guardians of the rights and liberties of the people.
This seems to no longer be true. Modern media technology provides an opportunity for more people to come to know the president, if not personally in the flesh, personally in the sense that we get to see them in action and make assessments of their character. People are much more likely to develop strong feelings for or against the president. And over the course of American history the office has also been vested with additional power, so there are additional, legitimate, reasons why we might feel a connection with the officeholder.
In the paragraphs below, we'll trace the development of executive power and speculate where we might be now.
- The Chief Clerk.
The First Article of the Constitution outlines the legislative branch, not the executive. All the powers of the national government are given to the legislature. A small number of functions are granted to the president in the Constitution, but the bulk of what the president -- and the bureaucracy -- does, is defined by the legislation passed by Congress. After legislation is passed, Congress continues to play a role in overseeing how the law is implemented. Early presidents, notably Washington, deferred to the legislature. But the legislature was dominated by Federalists who supported many of the goals and proposals of the Washington Administration, specifically those of Alexander Hamilton.
Congress passed the bulk of Hamilton's financial proposals, including the decision to charter a national bank. Many of these actions were considered necessary to help provide the stability the early republic needed. The partisan agreement
The Executive - Evolution and Current Design
Intro:
Timeline:
Study Guide Questions:
Quiz Questions for Fall 2009 Students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Rise of Presidential Power.
As a public, we tend to be conditioned to the idea that the president is the dominant political player in American government. It tends to be the office that attracts media attention and mobilize public opinion. We may surprised to learn that this was not the case in the early years of the republic, and in fact was not so until relatively recently in our history. Though executive power was argued to be especially problematic by the founders in a hereditary monarchy, is a republic, the asumption was that the legislative branch would dominate government and was the institution to be feared the most.
A lengthy passage from Federalist #49 makes the point: We have seen that the tendency of republican governments is to an aggrandizement of the legislative at the expense of the other departments. The appeals to the people, therefore, would usually be made by the executive and judiciary departments. But whether made by one side or the other, would each side enjoy equal advantages on the trial? Let us view their different situations. The members of the executive and judiciary departments are few in number, and can be personally known to a small part only of the people. The latter, by the mode of their appointment, as well as by the nature and permanency of it, are too far removed from the people to share much in their prepossessions. The former are generally the objects of jealousy, and their administration is always liable to be discolored and rendered unpopular. The members of the legislative department, on the other hand, are numberous. They are distributed and dwell among the people at large. Their connections of blood, of friendship, and of acquaintance embrace a great proportion of the most influential part of the society. The nature of their public trust implies a personal influence among the people, and that they are more immediately the confidential guardians of the rights and liberties of the people.
This seems to no longer be true. Modern media technology provides an opportunity for more people to come to know the president, if not personally in the flesh, personally in the sense that we get to see them in action and make assessments of their character. People are much more likely to develop strong feelings for or against the president. And over the course of American history the office has also been vested with additional power, so there are additional, legitimate, reasons why we might feel a connection with the officeholder.
In the paragraphs below, we'll trace the development of executive power and speculate where we might be now.
- The Chief Clerk.
The First Article of the Constitution outlines the legislative branch, not the executive. All the powers of the national government are given to the legislature. A small number of functions are granted to the president in the Constitution, but the bulk of what the president -- and the bureaucracy -- does, is defined by the legislation passed by Congress. After legislation is passed, Congress continues to play a role in overseeing how the law is implemented. Early presidents, notably Washington, deferred to the legislature. But the legislature was dominated by Federalists who supported many of the goals and proposals of the Washington Administration, specifically those of Alexander Hamilton.
Congress passed the bulk of Hamilton's financial proposals, including the decision to charter a national bank. Many of these actions were considered necessary to help provide the stability the early republic needed. The partisan agreement
- The Modern President
- The Post-Modern President
- The Unitary Executive.
- The Future of the Presidency.
Presidential Advising.
The Birth of the Cabinet
The Executive Office of the Presidency
The White House Staff
The President and the Media
Presidential Approval